Who Could the Devils Get at Second-Overall | FEATURE

Right now, there is little consensus who that could be but with the lottery balls bouncing in the club's favor (again) on Tuesday night, the options are much more enticing.
Shane Wright, a center with the Kingston Frontenacs, is no longer considered the slam-dunk No. 1 pick. Two forwards, American center Logan Cooley and Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovsky are now believed to be possibilities to hear their names called before Wright.
Viewed together, one of that trio - Wright, Cooley and Slafkovsky - will probably be pulling on a Devils jersey in Montreal on July 7. But even that is not certain because there are a few other prospects who could bubble up as high as second.
There remains a variable that scouting departments across the NHL are still trying to get a read on: how did the pandemic season a year ago effect a player such as Wright? Did losing an entire year merely put his development on pause, with an explosion soon coming as his body/mind catches up? Or is it a red herring that should be discounted, not just when assessing Wright but other prospects such as Matthew Savoie?
Here's a look at seven prospects. Wright, Slafkovsky and Cooley are listed here 1-2-3 because that remains as close to a "top 3" as can be determined right now. The next four are listed alphabetically - it's not hyperbole, the next bracket of four or five players is a hot mess in terms of consensus with at least a couple who could rise all the way to No. 2.

Shane Wright, C, Kingston Frontenacs

Long considered a shoo-in to go first overall, Wright's season was cancelled in 2020-21 when the Ontario Hockey League scrubbed its schedule as the pandemic ravaged Canada's hockey leagues. That, along with Wright's slow start to the season, brought other players into the mix. Wright has had quiet stretches this season but his proponents believe his understated effectiveness is precisely the point: that's how he's going to be during a long, productive NHL career. He had 32 goals and 62 assists in 63 games during the regular season. Worth noting is that he's played about the same in the playoffs and scored the OT series-winner in his team's conference quarter-final series. He is still playing, as the Frontenacs are down 2-1 in their best-of-seven conference semi-final series to the North Bay Battalion. It makes sense that Devils scouting staff will be on hand this week as Wright and the Frontenacs fight to keep their season alive.

Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS (Finland)

The big Slovak was outstanding at the Olympics (seven goals), stemming a negative vibe from what had been a quiet season before Beijing. In that regard, Slafkovsky has been like Wright: outstanding play mixed in with some indifferent stretches but he's playing against pros in Finland's Liiga, that country's top league. Slafkovsky has an enticing combination of size (6-4, 220) and skill that would look good playing alongside Jack Hughes (or Nico Hischier) some day. He will play for Slovakia at the World Championship, also in Finland. A big tournament there could further heighten the discussion who goes No. 1. Who doesn't (among players listed here) could become the Devils pick next in line.

Logan Cooley, C, USNTDP

Cooley is headed to the University of Minnesota. NHL-readiness is rarely a factor after the first overall pick, so Cooley being at least a year away from pro hockey will not hurt him. While Cooley has the all-round package of skills and gumption to make him a No. 1 center in the NHL, do the Devils really need that with Hughes and Hischier in-house? Then again, taking the best-player-available is a powerful argument that most NHL clubs adhere to when picking so high. Cooley also has a certain moxie about him: a quiet confidence needed to be an effective pro.

David Jiricek, D, Plzen (Czechia)

An elite, right-shot defenseman with great size (6-3, 190lbs) he is probably going to be the first player from the back end off the board. Whether that happens at No. 2 or further down the board is the question, and precisely what the Devils scouting/management staff will be assessing in the coming days. Jiricek has already played two full seasons in Czechia's top men's league.

Joakim Kemell, RW, JYP (Finland)

He struggled to produce offensively at times against men but was back in form later in the season and especially at the U18s, almost single-handily sending Canada home early in the quarter-finals. Kemell's up-and-down season and place on draft charts could be put down to over-exposure (he scored three goals at last year's U18s as an underage player). It has been a factor with both Wright and Savoie (see below); when a player earns praise well ahead of his draft season, it becomes easier to pick apart his game.

Simon Nemec, D, Nitra

Another Slovak who seems pegged to be the second player from his country and the second defenseman taken in Montreal. A right-shot, Nemec had a quiet Olympics but has exploded in the playoffs playing in Slovakia's top loop. Does his improved production mean he's also rising up draft charts, even as high as No. 2? Stranger things have happened.

Matthew Savoie, F, Winnipeg Ice

Savoie unsuccessfully lobbied to be able to play in the Western Hockey League as an underage player. Now in his second season of major junior after a year spent playing in the United States Hockey League (Dubuque) during the pandemic, Savoie led a talented Ice squad in scoring (35G, 55A). Savoie's teammate in Winnipeg, Conor Geekie, a throwback center, is an interesting prospect because some teams covet him more than Savoie but he is not a candidate to go second overall. Yet. The Ice are currently up 2-1 in their second round playoff series against the Moose Jaw Warriors, so the book isn't fully written on Savoie (or Geekie).